MARK OF JOHN BRIDGE, LONDON, 1828

Details

A GEORGE IV SILVER-GILT SIX-PIECE TEA AND COFFEE SERVICE
MARK OF JOHN BRIDGE, LONDON, 1828
Comprising a coffee pot on stand, a teapot on stand, a cream jug and a sugar bowl, each shaped circular and slightly bombé, on rim foot, the sides chased with panels depicting Poseidon riding a chariot pulled by sea-horses, the coffee pot and teapot also with Amphitrite astride a seahorse, the cream jug and sugar bowl with Aphrodite riding a dolphin, each central figure surrounded by tritons, nereids and putti blowing trumpets and conch shells, all on a textured ground, with foliate and scroll borders, the coffee pot and teapot with ivory scroll handle and hinged cover with fluted ivory finial, the cream jug and sugar bowl with textured serpent handles, the coffee pot warming stand on shaped triangular platform below three winged lion's paw feet, with urn-shaped lamp and cover, each engraved with a coat-of-arms and a crest, the warming stand engraved twice with a crest, marked on bases and covers
the coffee-pot, 12 in. (30.5 cm.) high
gross weight 120 oz. 11 dwt. (3,751 gr.)
The arms are those of Hope impaling Beresford, for Thomas Hope (1769-1831) of Deepdene, Surrey, and Duchess Street, Marylebone, London and his wife Louisa (d.1851), fifth daughter of William, 1st Baron Decies (1743-1819), whom he married in 1806.

Provenance

Thomas Hope (1769-1831) of Deepdene and Marylebone, then by descent,
The Hope Heirlooms; Christie's, London, 17 July 1917, lot 47 (£36 to Willson).
Richard Minoprio Esq.; Sotheby's, London, 20 June 1974, lot 114.
The Al Tajir Collection, London.
A Gentleman; Christie's, London, 11 June 2003, lot 32.

Literature

M. Clayton, The Collector's Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North America, Woodbridge, second edition, 1985, fig. 657.
V. Brett, The Sotheby's Dictionary of Silver, London, 1986, no. 1165.
The Glory of the Goldsmith, Magnificent Gold and Silver from the Al-Tajir Collection, London, 1989, no. 157, p. 204.

Exhibited

London, Christie's, The Glory of the Goldsmith, Magnificent Gold and Silver from the Al-Tajir Collection, 1989, no. 157.

Sale Room Notice

Please note that this lot includes elephant ivory. Many countries prohibit the import of elephant ivory, including the USA. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that they are able to import this lot, prior to bidding.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Benedict Winter Associate Director, Specialist

Lot Essay

This lot has been registered as an item made before 3 March 1947 with less than 10% ivory; submission reference: 74FTUZGW.

Thomas Hope was born in Amsterdam around 1770, the eldest of three sons of John Hope and his wife P. B. Vander Hoeven. The Hopes were an immensely wealthy family who counted the Prince of Orange among their intimate friends. Thomas studied architecture and spent several years travelling and sketching in Egypt, Greece, Turkey and other countries before settling in England in about 1796. Primarily known in his day as the author of The History of Architecture and most famously Household Furniture and Interior Decoration of 1807, he also published anonymously a romance, Anastasius which was attributed to Byron by the Edinburgh Review. Even once Hope had claimed authorship this was disputed by the Review as the reviewer Sydney Smith could scarcely believe that Hope, 'the man of chairs and tables, the gentleman of sofas' could author a work not unworthy of Tacitus.

A patron of Flaxman and Canova and a great collector of Italian paintings, ancient marbles and sculptures, with which he adorned his homes at Duchess Street, London, and Deepdene, Surrey, Hope was highly influential in bringing the neo-classical style to the forefront of popularity. His London house he decorated after classical and oriental models and in 1801 he purchased sixteen cases of Sir William Hamilton's ancient vase collection for the enormous sum of 4,500 guineas. He was a fellow of the Royal Society and of the Society of Antiquaries. He married on 16 April 1806, the Hon. Louisa Beresford, daughter of the Most Rev. Lord Decies, Archbishop of Tuam and they had three surviving sons. Hope died in his London house on 3 February 1831.

The linear neo-classical design of this service is echoed in many other pieces known to have been made by John Bridge for Rundells. These include include a pair of wine-coolers, 1826 made for King George IV and a second pair, of 1827 made for Thomas Hope which are now in a private collection.

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